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Talbot Street Lock In

Took the words right of my mouth @WillPS; it’s been a fantastic thread to follow during the extended closure!

I know that there won’t be as much time once the parks open and life returns to normal, but maybe it would be a nice idea to still occasionally add a few new things to the History section, if info is available?
 
I've absolutely loved this thread @Squiggs - it was a great idea and you've done a brilliant job presenting it.

Bravo!

Thanks! It's been quite a bit of work but very enjoyable and it's given me the chance to get up a whole heap of stuff I've had in my queue for the site for quite a while.

Loads of stuff I didn't know, along with a load of things I'd forgotten with time.

That was pretty much exactly what I was aiming for, so sounds like a success! :D

I know that there won’t be as much time once the parks open and life returns to normal, but maybe it would be a nice idea to still occasionally add a few new things to the History section, if info is available?

I'm going to aim to get back to one a week as life returns to normal, but it's more time permitting then anything else... life can get a bit crazy. That's probably about a year's worth of updates I've added in the past two months.
 
And so we come to 2020 and into the unknown.

Who knows quite what this season has in store, but this may well be the last we see of this version of the park map since we already know that some attractions will not be operating this season, most notably the entire World of David Walliams.

One thing we do know for certain though is that 2020 will be the park's shortest season in its forty year history!
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Brilliant I've enjoyed the years and looking at the park maps with ease to think about, amazing work job they did for the TLC project they posted on social media, and let's hope for a good future after post-lockdown, good to be sharing our thoughts and memories of decades gone by.
 
Little did we imagine, even three months ago that the big new attraction for 2020 would be the... Bugbie Go Round.

This season the park are reimagining the carousel in CBeebies Land, so there's no better time to celebrate 25 years since the humble Doodle Doo Derby took its first spin in Old MacDonald's Farmyard back in 1995.

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I haven't really thought about it too hard yet.

As it stands the only dates that will definitely change are the attractions that will now not open until 2021. The Bugbie Go Round is a bit of a grey area but since it has already operated this year.
 
I haven't really thought about it too hard yet.

As it stands the only dates that will definitely change are the attractions that will now not open until 2021. The Bugbie Go Round is a bit of a grey area but since it has already operated this year.
I suppose so; it operated during the Services Day, didn’t it?

Sorry; I know it’s incredibly pedantic of me, but I’ve always noticed that sort of little detail!
 
I suppose so; it operated during the Services Day, didn’t it?

Indeed, I believe it was operating for both the Saturdays before the season was due to start, which is when our images were taken.

Anyhoo... I've thought about it now and changed it to 4th July. Everywhere else on the site we go with the dates the attractions opened and closed to the general public, so it makes sense to stick with that.
 
Indeed, I believe it was operating for both the Saturdays before the season was due to start, which is when our images were taken.

Anyhoo... I've thought about it now and changed it to 4th July. Everywhere else on the site we go with the dates the attractions opened and closed to the general public, so it makes sense to stick with that.
Thank you very much @Squiggs; I know it was a very pedantic question for me to ask, so thank you for satisfying my eye for minor details!
 
It's the final Wednesday of the Lock In and we're back in the Gardens once more. If you're still looking for inspiration for things to do and see whilst the gardens are still open this week, we've just added another guided walk.

The Gardens are full of features that are Hidden in Plain Sight. Today we're taking a tour around some of our favourite spots in the garden with hidden stories that shine a light into the past.
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Really good stuff.
Nice to see the dovecote to the right of hex in the postcard near the end.
I know it is now screened by trees, but isnt the original building still there?
 
We have a bonus Hidden in Plain Sight entry tonight.

Yesterday we mentioned Quixhill Drive, part of which is now The Haunted Hollow, but the drive actually winds for a couple of miles out of the park ending at the Quixhill Lodge near Denstone, which was once a formal entrance to the Alton Towers estate.

You may have driven past it before without realising its links to the park, so we've just updated out guided walk with information on how to get there by car at the end of your day on park.
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I've never attempted it myself (but will one day) but I think there may actually be a public footpath or right of way through that bit of JCB land from Quixhill up to the back of the hotels and Ina's rock. Someone (sensible and with no reason to lie) told me that they walked it going back about 10 years ago but it's rarely used so can be a bit dodgy in places. I may try it at some point in the near future as I'd forgotten about trying the walk until this reminded me again. I'll try to remember to document it using photo's if I do. Pretty sure I mapped it out about a year ago and it looked feasible.
 
There are two footpaths below King Ina's rock at differing heights that lead away from the Towers, both wide but overgrown.
Presume one of them will eventually turn 90 degrees left.
 
And so, with a little over a week before the park finally opens for the 2020 season, our Lock In must come to an end. We hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as we've enjoyed putting it together.

Over the past 97 days we have shared 9 videos, uploaded 20 new maps and added 330 images to the site, many of which have never been online before. We've deep-dived into the history of 24 attractions, as well as adding 16 other articles, from abandoned concepts for the park and past events, right through to historical aerial photography and guide walks in the gardens.

If you've missed anything, a summary of all the updates is now available over on the site.
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Update. Been researching the local rights of way and old maps of Alton from the late 1800s against new OS maps and I'll most probably be trying the walk from Quixhill lodge along the old Quixhill Drive as far as it will go into the resort tomorrow. It's possible that the route may be completely blocked at some point in the middle but it'll be fun finding out. I remember about 10 years ago approaching it from the Towers side down a path that clearly was out of use and it was defo blocked at that point by just fallen trees and brambles etc. Pretty sure it was the continuation of the Quixhill Drive out of the old estate though. I like an explore and even I didn't try it as it looked pretty dangerous. Wish me luck. If you don't hear from me again in a few days send an emergency team to 'The Sprink' just outside Alton ;)
 
Have a nice walk Mr Zola.
My last play out down there was great, fence blockage is below the new hotel, roughly above Inas rocks.
Footpaths run north through the hotel car park and around the JCB site onto Waste Rd I think.
Happy wandering.
 
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